Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्थापितानि च लिंगानि स्वयंभूनि च दृष्टवान् । तत्रतत्र महाभागे तीर्थानि शिवसन्निधौ

Transliteration

sthāpitāni ca liṃgāni svayaṃbhūni ca dṛṣṭavān | tatratatra mahābhāge tīrthāni śivasannidhau

Translation

Je contemplai des liṅga consacrés, et aussi des liṅga svayambhū, manifestés d’eux-mêmes. Et là, en chaque lieu, ô très fortunée, se trouvaient des tīrtha dans la présence même de Śiva.

Word by Word

• स्थापितानि: established
• स्थापितानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying लिङ्गानि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; कर्म

• स्वयंभूनि: self-manifested
• स्वयंभूनि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वयं-भू (प्रातिपदिक; स्वयं + भू)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying लिङ्गानि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• दृष्टवान्: (I/he) saw / have seen
• दृष्टवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्तवत् (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्तवत्-कृदन्त (perfect participle used as finite), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग; अर्थ: ‘(he/I) has seen’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb: there)

• तत्र: here and there
• तत्र: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्त देशवाचक अव्यय (tatratatra = here and there)

• महाभागे: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभागे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक; महा + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सम्बोधन/अधिकरण-सदृश (vocative-like address in locative form)

• तीर्थानि: sacred fords/pilgrimage spots
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; कर्म (understood with ‘saw’)

• शिवसन्निधौ: in the presence of Śiva
• शिवसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव-सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक; शिव + सन्निधि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

Speaker

Gautama (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-sannidhi tīrthas (associated with liṅgas)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahābhāga addressee

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator stands before varied liṅgas: one adorned with garlands and ritual vessels (pratiṣṭhita), another emerging from earth/rock with natural markings (svayaṃbhū). Nearby, a tīrtha-kunda/riverbank glows as if in Śiva’s immediate aura.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga (sthāpita and svayaṃbhū)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s sacred presence is encountered both through human consecration (sthāpita) and divine self-revelation (svayaṃbhū), sanctifying the landscape as tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally of many tīrthas encountered across sacred places, preparing the reader for Aruṇācala’s particular greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit is liṅga-darśana and tīrtha-sevā (including possible snāna), though the verse itself does not spell out a specific ritual act.